Black Ball
by littlejohnny.lj
Summary: During a ball, the lights go out, Hogwarts students grab frantically for their partners, then the lights come back on, and everyone is either happy or horrified with their partner. Pairs are drawn out of a hat. Oneshot.


**A/N: This fanfic has no particular time setting, this is mainly because some students in this fic would not have been at Hogwarts at the same time. Think of it more as a gathering of J.K. Rowling's characters, and everything which has happened in the books have happened, but much to my delight, no one has died. So for example, Cedric and Fred are still alive.**

**Disclaimer: And of course, the characters, as mentioned above, belong to J.K. Rowling, whose last book my brother has not yet read; he does not know what he's missing out on. Can't believe we're related.**

The students entered the Great Hall, it had been completely revamped until it did not resemble their old dining hall at all. The four house tables were gone, and the floor was now creamy marble, red curtains were draped across the windows, and candles hung suspended in mid-air above the students and teachers. The entire hall had been transformed into an elegant ballroom.

Towards the far end of the hall, where the teacher's table had once been, was now a table laden with refreshments should the students ever get tired of dancing and decided to engross themselves with delicious indulgences.

Ron headed straight towards the table, and took a little bit of everything.

"This is delicious!" he said to Harry and Hermione who had predicted Ron's overwhelming appetite would direct him straight towards the table, and had made their way there beforehand.

"Yeah," said Harry, "just don't get a stitch while you're dancing."

As more students piled in, Dumbledore's voice magical filled the room, "…and so, without further ado, let the partying begin!" boomed the voice.

At once there were yells and cheers from the students as they began dancing with their partners, Ron offered Hermione his hand, which still had a few crumbs in it, and asked "May I?"

Hermione smiled and agreed, but before they could waltz away and leave Harry searching vainly for Ginny, Peeves entered the Hall and there was a general uproar from the students, as he proceeded to throw food at them from the refreshment table.

"HAVING A PARTY WITHOUT PEEVES!

I'LL SEE TO IT THAT NO ONE LEAVES,

TILL I'VE TRIPPED AND TRICKED AND PUSHED AN KICKED,

CHASED AND PULLED AND DRAGGED AND RIPPED!!!"

The cacophonous tune which Peeves sang his words to was nowhere near the musical talent of the Weird Sisters who had now abandoned their instruments, as Peeves commenced yanking their hair throwing water balloons at them.

"BOOOOOOO!" he said, with his thumb pointing down.

Harry caught a glimpse of a quick hand movement before the Hall was suddenly immersed in blackness so thick, that Harry couldn't even see the shadows of Ron and Hermione, and if it wasn't for the simultaneous swelling of voices, he could have quite easily believed that he was by himself.

"It's Instant Darkness Powder, I know it," said a voice nearby, which Harry identified as either Fred or George.

"Damn Peeves, how did he get his hands on it?" swore the other twin.

"Don't worry, from what I glimpsed, he only had a bit of it, won't last long," assured the other twin.

"Harry, Harry is that you?" A hand had forcefully grabbed his shoulder, turning around, Harry peered in the darkness but could not make out anyone.

"Ginny?"

"Harry, oh, I finally found you," the grip on her hand slackened, but as soon as it did, someone had ran into them, pushing them in opposite directions, Harry fell to the floor and could hear Peeves swooping by.

A hand grabbed Harry's wrist and hoisted him up, before he could ask if it was Ginny, the powder suddenly cleared and…

"Hello Harry," said Luna brightly as she pulled him up.

Harry starred, Luna was wearing the weirdest attire yet. The usual butterbear cork necklace and horseradish earrings were adorned, her wand was still stuck behind her ear. Her hair had been tied into a blonde blob which sat lazily on her head, decorated with a garland of daises and her dress looked more like a patchwork quilt. Luna looked like she had just stepped out of a retro wardrobe.

The Weird Sisters, having regained their composure (though their hair had all been teased, so that each member looked as though they had a hairy cloud above their heads)resumed playing the song before they were rudely interrupted by Peeves.

Dumbledore's voice filled the ballroom again, "Thank you Peeves, for spicing up the party. Now I ask all students to enjoy their first dance with whomever they have been coincidentally paired with during the sudden blackout." – Here Dumbledore chuckled – " I'm sure we could all do with new friendships!"

Soon Dumbledore could be seen twirling around the hall with Professor Grubbly-Plank, who looked just as shocked and bewildered as the pairs of students they danced past. Of Peeves, he was nowhere to be seen, but Harry also noticed that the Bloody Baron has disappeared too.

"Oooh, they look like they're having fun," said the talking patchwork quilt, referring to the headmaster.

Harry smiled half-heartedly, and remembered that time when he had seen Luna dancing at Fleur and Bill's wedding. But Luna was his friend and he was grateful that he hadn't ended up with someone worse, he thought, as he caught sight of Justin Finch-Fletchley and Millicent Bulstrode, looking very unconvinced by their pairing. Harry happily offered her his hand.

"Well, shall we?" he asked with a smile.

Luna, eyes bright as ever, gave the unnecessary answer, "Yes we shall," before joining her hand with Harry's.

--

As the blackness dispersed, Katie Bell found herself in the arms of Cedric Diggory, and she remembered vaguely running into someone, having been pursued closely by Peeves. Immediately, she leapt out of the Hufflepuff's arms.

"S-s-sorry," she stammered.

"Oh, that's alright," replied Cedric, just as shaky.

At that moment, Hagrid pushed past them, dancing with Professor Vector, who looked miniature in comparison.

"Well you two, aren't ya gonna dance?" he asked good naturedly and gave Cedric a push so that now he was the one falling into her.

They began dancing, though nervous at first, they soon began talking about quidditch and all inhibitions seemed to vanish at that instance. Katie was sure every girl in the room was looking at her, but was surprised and even somewhat glad that Cedric never took his eyes off her in that conversation.

Katie had had a hard time ever since she wore that cursed necklace, everyone in Slytherin made fun of her, while some other students were wary of her, as if she practiced the dark arts or something. Well, now that she was dancing with the most handsome man in the room, who seemed to have forgotten Katie wore cursed necklaces, she was sure her reputation would take a different turn.

"- yes, can't believe Ireland won last time…" said Cedric.

'Yes, yes,' thought Katie dreamily, as she looked into Cedric's deep eyes.

--

"Urgh, finally," moaned Fred Weasley as the darkness evaporated and the Weird Sisters assumed playing. As the last of the powder faded, he found himself face to face with Hermione. Before the prefect could chastise him for leaving the Instant Darkness Powder laying around in his dorm, Dumbledore's voice suddenly echoed throughout the hall.

"Oh no" groaned Fred inwardly, as he realised what this meant.

Hermione did not look amused either.

"I suppose you think its funny then, carelessly leaving your things exposed in your dorm, imagine if some ravenous first-year came across one of your skiving snackboxes, suppose they didn't know what is was and just ate them all?"

"Then that would be eleven sickles, thank you very much."

Hermione was serious, but Fred found her allegory quite funny.

As Dumbledore whirled past with Professor Grubbly-Plank, they reluctantly joined hands and made a feeble attempt to dance.

Hermione subjected Fred to her relentless lecture, meanwhile, Fred watched and listened to George, not a long way off, who was talking with Lavender Brown.

"Hiya Lav-lav, wanna dance?"

"What did you just call me?!?!?!?" cried Lavender who looked both alarmed and horrified.

"Lav-lav, Ron told me you preferred to be called that," said George, and Fred commended him on his innocent expression.

"Ron told you what?" shrieked Lavender.

--

"Outta my way, outta my way!" Draco cried as he pushed through the never-ending blackness, he didn't know that his hand of glory would be handy tonight, otherwise he would have brought it with him.

"Outta my way, I said! What is wrong with you people!" He pushed passed someone who seemed to be rooted to the spot in front of him. That someone immediately said, "Excuse me!" in a very angered tone.

As vision restored itself, Draco found the voice of that impolite "Excuse me" as none other then Angelina Johnson, the Gryffindor quidditch player.

"Oh, you," he muttered, "I wouldn't have expected better manners from you. What do they teach girls these days? How to be a right nuisance, I suppose."

"Then they've taught you pretty well," scowled Angelina.

After Dumbledore's announcement, both looked at each other in mutual shock.

"They expect me to dance with a loser?" cried Draco.

"No, I don't think they wanted us to dance by ourselves," snapped Angelina.

"Haha, I was talking about you."

"Me? Who said I was going to dance with you? I'm sorry Malfoy, but I don't stoop so low."

Their argument, for the time being, was paused as Madam Hooch and Lockhart, who had been temporarily released from St Mungo's upon Dumbledore's invitation to him, whirled past. Madom Hooch looked completely unamused, while Lockhart, the exact opposite was exclaiming, "Unbelievable! This is just like magic!"

"And there's another loser," said Malfoy, "Why is this school full of them?"

"Takes one to know one," said Lee Jordan, who had finally located Angelina, "And in your case, Draco, it takes a helluva big loser to know so many of them."

Draco walked off, "I'll leave you losers alone," he said.

"Well if it isn't Angelina Johnson," said Lee, turning to the girl, "amazing quidditch chaser, needless to say Gryffindor is proud to have her on their team, and she's rather attractive too" –

"Jordan! Will you stop that!" cried Angelina, rolling her eyes, "you're overdoing it, on the quidditch field is already enough."

"Aww…so you don't like my commentating skills I gather?" Lee flashed her a grin.

Angelina raised her eyebrows, "Where's your partner?"

"Oh," said Jordan, "She's back there." He pointed at Padma Patil, a little way off, who was standing in solitude looking extremely annoyed.

Angelina remembered the time after the Yule Ball where Padma had complained to anyone available her uneventful time and vowed never to talk to Ron Weasley again. She did not want to listen to her ravings a second time.

"She doesn't look happy, I think you should dance with her."

"You kidding me? I'll only dance with one person tonight."

"Yourself?"

"Come on Johnson, you know what I mean, wanna dance?"

"Better you than Draco," she sighed, taking up his hand.

"Wow woman, understatement of the year," said Lee as he clasped his hand around Angelina's.

Angelina couldn't help but smile.

--

"Oh, sorry," said Neville as he stepped on Ginny's foot yet again.

Ginny smiled wearily, in about half a minute, Neville has managed to step on her foot a dozen times. This was like an exact repeat of the Yule Ball.

Looking around she glimpsed Harry and Luna dancing and chatting cheerfully together, a ridiculous yet unstoppable pang of jealousy pieced her heart, but before it had time to grow, Harry had turned around, caught site of Ginny, and the two exchanged sympathetic glances, which Ginny knew Harry wouldn't share with anyone else.

'Well, at least Neville doesn't talk about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks,' thought Ginny.

"Oops, sorry," said Neville, as Ginny's foot felt a stab of pain.

"Maybe" – began Ginny.

- "We should stop for a while," finished Neville.

"Not to be mean or anything," mumbled Ginny.

"Hey, I am no great dancer, you know that."

"Boy, do I," but Ginny smiled.

They walked over to the refreshments table, where they were immediately greeted by Padma's never-ending complaints and whines concerning Lee Jordan, whom Ginny saw was dancing happily with Angelina, and the couple looked beautiful.

"…and he just leaves me, just like that! Just like that stupid Ron last time, sorry Ginny…"

"No offence taken," said Ginny, who was busy throwing every-flavour beans and catching them in her mouth. Soon, Neville joined in too, and they began throwing beans in each other's mouth.

"Are you guys even listening?" Padma asked, before she got a bean thrown at her.

"Oi, how dare you Neville!" but before she could throw a bean back, Romilda Vane and Ernie MacMillan twirled by.

Ernie was starring at Romilda like she was the only thing in the room, while Romilda batted her eyelids and simpered sweetly, Ernie gave a sigh and tucked her fringe behind her ear, and Romilda giggled.

"What the? I thought he liked Hannah!" Padma exclaimed.

But Ginny and Neville, who had noticed the symptoms of one who had obviously consumed too much love potion than was healthy, could not help grinning at each other.

"I'm going to find Hannah," said Padma and she abruptly marched off to Hannah, who was dancing joyfully with Terry Boot.

--

Much to Katie's annoyance, Oliver Wood had been talking about quidditch with her before the darkness had descended. Now that it had disappeared, and much to his relief, so had Peeves, Oliver found himself starring at Katie while Cedric held her in her arms. Cho, who had blundered blindly into _his_, was also looking at the couple with a somewhat irritated expression.

In their awkward situation, Dumbledore's announcement did not seem to help.

"Well, we may as well dance," said Cho after a while, referring to their lack of progress.

All the world's quidditch matches could not prepare him for this. Oliver had never told anyone that he was hopeless at dancing, and apart from talking to the girls on the quidditch team, he hardly conversed with any other girls, because most girls, he soon found out, did not share a passionate interest in quidditch.

"Well?" demanded Cho, she rolled her eyes and took hold of his hand, but she was smiling.

'At least Cho plays quidditch,' thought Oliver.

They began dancing, but Oliver's feet were not accustomed to the movement, they usually spent their time dangling off his broom.

"Just because you're professional quidditch player, doesn't mean you don't use your legs," grumbled Cho, as Oliver stepped on her yet again.

"I'm sorry ok!" cried Oliver, who had averted his eyes solely to his feet.

"You're dancing with me, not the floor!"

"Alright, alright!" Oliver popped his head back up.

After a period of silence, in which Oliver had congratulated himself for not stepping on Cho's foot at all, he decided to start a conversation.

"You think the Tutshill Tornados will win this year?"

"I don't know" –

But before Cho could finish her sentence, Oliver had launched straight into a detailed analysis of the team's playing tactics.

"…and three years ago, in the second round against the Chudley Cannons, did you see their twenty-seventh goal?"

"DO YOU EVER TALK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE?" cried Cho who had lost track of their conversation twenty sentences ago and was thoroughly sick of quidditch right now.

"What? Don't you like quidditch?"

"There's more to the world than quidditch."

"There is? I mean…well...what do you want to talk about?" stammered Oliver.

But Cho was looking at Cedric and Katie who were laughing and dancing nearby.

"There's more to the world than Cedric," said Oliver, imitating Cho's previous tone, but failing miserably and sounding like a 7-year-old girl who had swallowed laughing gas.

"Wood, you're so immature."

"Me? Well…" said Wood, trying to think of a good comeback.

"Yeah, well, you've been glancing at Katie during your whole Tutshill Tornados speech, don't think I didn't notice."

In reality, Wood had only glanced at Katie twice, 'but trust women to be so sensitive,' thought Oliver.

"You know, maybe if you paid quidditch less attention, and her, more, she would actually notice."

"Yeah, alright, thanks for the courting advice Chang, I'm sure it'll come useful one day," snapped Oliver sarcastically.

"Yeah, the day after you fall off your broom," snorted Cho.

"Which, I assure you, will never happen" –

- "Until I knock you off, so be careful." Cho grinned evilly.

"Which is foul play," said Oliver, who hated nothing more.

"Which is what you told Harry to do to me in our match when he made that patronus!" cried Cho indignantly.

Oliver remembered vaguely the house match, when Harry was in his third year and how he had told Harry to knock her off her broom, but only if he had to.

"Oh yeah, that."

Oliver smiled sheepishly.

--

"Draco where are you?" shrieked Pansy, as she pushed past people who seemed intent on blocking her way.

At that moment, the blackness parted.

"Well, this would make life easier," said Pansy, but before she could locate Draco, a sudden flash momentarily blinded her.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" cried Pansy rubbing her eyes angrily.

"Sorry," said a cheery voice, "that was my camera, I think someone accidentally nudged the button, when they walked into me."

Unbeknownst to them both, Pansy was the one who had nudged the button a moment ago.

"Who are you?" she cried.

"Colin Creevey."

"Colin Creepy?"

"CREEVEY."

"Oh, right sorry, do you usually carry a camera around?"

"Yeah, it's a habbit, saved my life once."

"Really?" asked Pansy sceptically.

But before Colin could explain, Draco had come and dragged Pansy off.

"Losers, all a bunch of losers." Draco could be heard muttering.

--

"In case you're wondering, Hermione's with Fred."

"Oh right…er…"

"They're behind us."

"Thanks Alicia."

Ron turned around, sure enough, Hermione was talking non-stop to Fred.

'Do they really have that much to talk about?' wondered Ron.

"Ron!"

Ron had unconsciously pushed Alicia Spinnet into Michael Corner who was dancing with Mandy Brocklehurst.

"Watch where you're going Spinnet!"

"Sorry, Corner, it wasn't my fault."

Alicia turned around and regarded Ron with a reproachful look.

"Sure glad I only play quidditch with you," she told him.

"I know I'm not the ideal partner, ok?"

"Far from it."

"Do you have to be so honest?"

They had stopped at the refreshments table, where Ginny and Neville had been laughing loudly amidst a pile of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

"Aww, no more left?" said Ron starring into the empty bowl on the table.

At that point, Padma came over, threw a dirty look at Ron, picked up a class of punch and resumed her conversation with Hannah and Terry on the other side of the Hall.

"Gee, what's wrong with her?" said Ron.

--

Dancing with Luna had turned out to be quite an experience. After holding hands for some time, they broke off and ended up mingling about and around each other. Harry hadn't seen Luna so happy before, her genuine joy seemed to throw off her permanent loony look and if it wasn't for her patchwork quilt, she would've looked normal, which would've been a pity because then Harry wouldn't have recognised her.

At first, _Blibbering Humdingers sounded worse than Harry could bare, but after looking around the hall, he felt very lucky that he was paired with a friend, and didn't have to make a 'new friendship'._

_Daphne Greengrass and Anthony Goldstein had stood awkwardly together, until Professor Sinistra and Professor Flitwick practically bonded them together with a sticking charm._

_Marietta Edgecombe had looked most uncomfortable at being paired with a DA member, Dean._

Seamus looked worse as Moaning Myrtle consistently swooped through him, by way of dancing.

Zacharias Smith and Susan Bones had got on well, but Parvati looked quite bewildered as Zabini Blaise tried to engage her in a dance.

"Losers, all a bunch of losers." said Draco as he walked past.

'Of course, Draco is the biggest one of all,' thought Harry nastily.

**Whew, that went far longer than I thought, but as the idea kept popping up in my head, I couldn't get rid of it, and now that its done, I can rest in peace and do some homework. Grrrrrrrrr.**

**Hope the story was good enough to deserve a review, and thanks to all those who bothered to read such a long oneshot. Yes, that's right its going to be a oneshot because I don't have time to put up another chapter, I think the ending's alright and I bet no one would want to read it because I'm no good writer.**


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